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For Real

(Spires Universe)

Alexis Hall (Goodreads Author)

4.25 · Rating details · 3,798 ratings · 906 reviews

Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9781626492806

Laurence Dalziel is worn down and washed up, and for him, the BDSM scene is all played out. Six years on from his last relationship, he’s pushing forty and tired of going through the motions of submission.

Then he meets Toby Finch. Nineteen years old. Fearless, fierce, and vulnerable. Everything Laurie can’t remember being.

Toby d ...more

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Paperback, 1 edition, 437 pages

Published June 1st 2015 by Riptide Publishing

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Lists with This Book

Best M/M Contemporary Books of 2015

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Community Reviews

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4.25 ·

Rating details

· 3,798 ratings · 906 reviews

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Apr 28, 2015 Julio Genao rated it really liked it · review of another edition

spectacularly good.

description

subversive, clever, and full of surprises.

my hands-down favorite bdsm-themed romance.

hall's books are always so thoughtful, and his aesthetic so similar to mine—i am simply powerless to resist them.

i ate this badboy up like a slice of lemon meringue pie.

more, please!

PS: it is occasionally and gloriously a one handed read:

description

...make of that what you will.

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Apr 22, 2015 ~✡~Dαni(ela) ♥ ♂♂ love & semi-colons~✡~ rated it really liked it

Shelves: british-boys, comfort-healing, hella-kinky, m-m, dom-sub-bdsm

~4.5~

Nearly 500 pages of brilliant, thoughtful writing.

But his [cock] I could be kind of obsessed with. It's really ... beautiful, all strong and straining, needy and aggressive at the same time, and sheathed in gleaming skin, with these drops of moisture crowning the tip, like tiny perfect opals ... they'd taste of heat and salt and tears and him.

And that is the most delicious description of a cock. EVER.

In his review, Julio called this book "subversive, clever, and full of surprises."

I con ...more

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May 09, 2015 Heather K (dentist in my spare time) rated it really liked it

Shelves: romance, read-to-review-arc, net-galley, m-m, made-me-laugh, loved-it, kink, favorites-2015

*4.5 stars*

I love it when I'm wrong.

I had started fearing everything that I had loved about Alexis Hall's Glitterland was a figment of my imagination. Perhaps I had dreamed the wonderful, squee-worthiness that was Glitterland? Stranger things have happened...

I tried, with epic failures, to read his other stuff (Iron & Velvet, Prosperity, Waiting for the Flood). Each of those books was a huge disappointment, and I decided to just throw in my Alexis Hall towel and snuggle down to dream my drea ...more

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Apr 17, 2015 Gigi rated it it was amazing

Shelves: mm-bdsm, fuck-yeah-5-plus-stars, mm-contemporary, mm-dirty-talk, mm-healing-comfort, mm-pure-romance, absolute-favorites, arc, gay-book-reviews

Advanced review copy of For Real provided by Riptide Publishing via Net Gallery in exchange for an honest review.

Folks attracted to this book enough to read reviews are most likely looking for a hot and steamy BDSM romp. And, boy do you get it here! Hotter and steamier than any BDSM book I've read in years! But what will surprise most of you is that behind all this glorious pain and submission is an absolutely beautiful love story. For Real is a M/M romance which just so happens to include char ...more

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Jun 01, 2015 Alexis Hall added it · (Review from the author)

Shelves: kinda-sorta-wrote-it

Since I write all over the map I recommend checking out the extensive tags on the Riptide Publishing page. But this one is a novel, Spires series, contemporary setting, m/m (both cis), HFN, explicit sex, pretty damn kinky. Trigger warning for bereavement.

So, um, yes I wrote this.

And I'm so excited it's finally out.

You can get it from Riptide Publishing and from all the usual third-parties vendors.

If you're even remotely interested in hearing me ramble on about the book, most particular about the ...more

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Apr 29, 2015 Vanessa North rated it it was amazing

A few months ago, I was whining to Alexis Hall about how few kinky books there are that don't seem to have ghastly rapey backstories, etc. etc, and that I really just wanted to read something filthy and romantic without rape or abuse and why was that particular combination so damned difficult to find?

And he said something along the lines of "Um, I might have written something like that, it's in edits, but I'll send it to you."

To which I said "OMG GIMME" or something equally horrible and enthusia ...more

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May 01, 2015 Kaje Harper rated it it was amazing

Shelves: bdsm, comfort-reread, favorites, m-m

Wow. This book goes straight into my favorites. BDSM, but with much more focus on the psychology, the needs of the two men and the balance of the relationship, than any mechanics of the physical side. Not that there aren't excellent sexual episodes in it, but there are no formal scenes here, no careful planning and stylized progression. Just two men, one older, one younger; one experienced in the scene, one completely new to it; one broken by losing love through no fault of his own, one urgently Wow. This book goes straight into my favorites. BDSM, but with much more focus on the psychology, the needs of the two men and the balance of the relationship, than any mechanics of the physical side. Not that there aren't excellent sexual episodes in it, but there are no formal scenes here, no careful planning and stylized progression. Just two men, one older, one younger; one experienced in the scene, one completely new to it; one broken by losing love through no fault of his own, one urgently seeking something he's never had... and the young, inexperienced guy is the Dom.

This worked for me on so many levels. The writing is excellent. (If you haven't tried this author yet, and were daunted by the accent or the steampunk of other stories, try this one.) The men are imperfect, physically as well as in their very human emotions and psychology. The progression through the relationship is organic, not formalized, moving in very believable fits and starts. There are wonderful moments and painful moments and I read it in one breathless evening, then went back to the beginning.

Laurie is a doctor, in his late thirties, and six years out of the relationship he thought would be his forever. His ex was his first everything - first real kiss, first sex, first love, first Dom - the man with whom he seemed to fit effortlessly. But a moment of crisis pushed them apart, and by the time Laurie looked around, his ex was moving on without him. Since then, he has played in the scene, gone home or to a club with one Dom or another. But while he has given his obedience to them, and received a degree of brief satisfaction and relief, he has never really given his submission to anyone in six years.

Toby is nineteen, and a very plausible nineteen, young, unsure, not a virgin by any means, but a guy for whom sex has been about fumbling and physicality and never really satisfying. He has come to realize that he's a Dom, and what he craves is to give his strength and control and pain to someone who wants them, to a man who is strong himself, but who finds satisfaction in submission. But at nineteen, finding that seems impossible. He goes to a local club, not with great expectations, but with curiosity and hope.

And Laurie sees him, a very young guy, thin, small, with acne, not gorgeous or conventionally hot, and yet a guy who stands tall and somehow touches the caretaker sub in Laurie. And in the first moment, meeting in the club, when Laurie kneels for this man, a new bond is forged which will carry them through the story.

I loved their differences, and how they fit together. I liked the way they did what felt right, without a lot of planning and discussion and yet always with care for each other. I loved that Laurie would try hard (and sometimes wrongly) to balance his joy in submitting with his greater age, experience and wealth. I believed that at first it was hard to find the way to come together for more than sex, or to believe there could be more.

The voices of each man were distinct. Toby felt young in most ways. He was very erudite for 19, but as a kid with a famous artist for a mother, raised in a house where most of the books were poetry, and creativity was the god his mother worshiped, I could believe it. Laurie's age, his competence and the veil of fatigue that had muffled his life until the cool fresh wind that was Toby blew it open, were palpable.

The writing is elegant and emotional, and the sex scenes are wonderfully done, especially the first couple. The beginning of the book was such a delight - I love that moment when you think "Yes, a new favorite!". I wanted to slow down and savor it, and couldn't.

One essential plot point seemed unlikely to me ((view spoiler)) But I could just accept it as a blind spot, part of Laurie's very real reservations about their age difference, his reluctance to make himself anything more than a passing fling in the life of a guy with 20 more years of youth to expect, as Laurie heads into middle age. Both men's reactions to the age issues were fitting, and added depth to the story.

This is a story about connections and about trust. There is a lovely slow build, both in bed and out of it, between the main characters. Through sex at first, and then gradually through moments of life built up around the sex, they work to figure themselves and their relationship out. In some ways, each seems more tuned to what the other man needs than their own issues. Almost as if, through the eyes of love, they see each other plainly but pay less attention to themselves. The book is by turns sweet, funny, sad, fascinating, and hot. Absolutely a keeper, and a reread. ...more

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Apr 18, 2015 Kat ☠ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: london-calling, land-of-hope-and-glory, cover-love, glorious, would-take-to-a-desert-island, favourite-characters, made-me-cry, mr-incompetent-esq, was-not-annoyed-by-the-britishness, most-adored-2015

Some word vomit will be added to this when I've managed to compose myself. So in the meantime... All the stars. This gets all the stars I have.

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Apr 18, 2015 Mel rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favourites-2015, genre-contemporary

The book is getting better and better with every read or listen. Loved the audio <3

OMGOMGOMGOMG

FOR REAL WON THE RITA AWARD

SQUEEEEEEEEEEE

ALL THE LOVE FOR THIS BOOK AND ALEXIS

SO WELL DESERVED

So we put our arms around each other again. I lead and Laurie follows [...], and there's moonlight, and we dance and dance and dance until we fly and my heart is so zing, I can't even.

I found it :D The perfect quote.
It makes me smile so much, I can't even.
Not only is this quote from one of my (many) favouri ...more

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Apr 20, 2015 Lenore rated it really liked it

Shelves: pub-riptide, bdsm, m-m, favourite-authors, great-britain-my-love, sex-to-the-nth-degree, age-difference, hh-doctor-nurse-life-sciences, ugh-present-tense, bondage

You’ve got to tell the world how to treat you. If the world tells you how you are going to be treated, you are in trouble—James Baldwin

For Real is a love story upending labels and stereotypes (sexual or otherwise); how two people come together not allowing themselves to be flattened into labels—dom/sub, top/bottom, beautiful/plain, younger/older, educated/uneducated, high class/blue collar, etc. It's the story of Laurie and Toby, who should have nothing in common, who, on the surface, are diamet ...more

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Apr 28, 2015 Rachel rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: m-m-contemporary-romance, bdsm, favorites, age-gap

5+ Snowdrop Stars

Aftercare , Mr. Hall. I know that you are familiar with the loving recovery that follows a highly charged BDSM scene. I know that you are familiar with it because your characters demonstrate aftercare so sweetly in “For Real.” Gentle caresses, tender snuggles, affectionate murmurs, water to rehydrate…All given to show that they are there for each other. Letting each other know that they are safe, helping them gain their emotional equilibrium…

However, dear Sir, what about your r ...more

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Apr 17, 2015 Gaby rated it it was amazing

4.5 Rounded Up!...

WARNING: This does not make sense.

I honestly don't know how to write this review without turning it into a horrible personal thing. There are writers that manage to write stories that stay with you, and manage to write characters that seem way too close of a mirror of what you were, or are. Or both. This is one of them.

When I knew this book was coming out I knew to expect awesome, and I knew I could expect something different where BDSM is concerned. Of course you have whips, 4.5 Rounded Up!...

WARNING: This does not make sense.

I honestly don't know how to write this review without turning it into a horrible personal thing. There are writers that manage to write stories that stay with you, and manage to write characters that seem way too close of a mirror of what you were, or are. Or both. This is one of them.

When I knew this book was coming out I knew to expect awesome, and I knew I could expect something different where BDSM is concerned. Of course you have whips, and cock rings, and chains, ropes, and cuffs, I mean, this is BDSM after all. But it's different. It's completely different to other BDSM books I've read.

Laurence (Laurie), is 37. He's a sub who's been in the BDSM scene for quite some time. He spent many years of his life with Robert, his ex partner, and ex dom. Laurie is not perfect. He's not strikingly beautiful, but he possesses something that makes him beautiful. He still goes out, and gets random hook ups, but that's about it. And then, he meets Toby.

Toby is a 19 year old guy. Even with the little experience he has, he knows he's a dom. He loves cooking. He adores what he can create in the kitchen. He knows what he wants and goes for it, and he also knows that he doesn't always know... Yet, there he is. He isn't incredibly beautiful either, yet, he is.

I'm not sure I can properly explain what happens between them. From the moment they meet they are kind of hooked to each other. It wasn't love at first sight, or just plain lust at first sight either, there was a kind of recognition when they set their eyes on each other, and that's what makes all of this incredibly romantic. Yes, romantic.

The book has many amazing hot scenes. Like, very, extremely, hot. Yet, this isn't what the book is about. This book is about learning someone, y'know? like, when you first meet someone and you want to learn them, not just about them, but... them. Like a map, or land. There's just too much, and too changing, and too complex, and there are layers, and sometimes what seems to be there really isn't and you have to turn around and find another way in?. So you try, and maybe that wasn't the right way either so you get desperate because what the fuck, and you drop everything and give up... But, did you really give up? is giving up what you really want? no, of course not. So, you go back. Or you wait for him to come back. And you do. Or he does. And does it even matter who came to who? Maybe, maybe not.

This book is about making yourself vulnerable. Once someone told me how he thought that it was in bed when we were at our most vulnerable. That the nakedness in bed left us pretty much naked in every other sense of the word. I think he was right, or at least partly right. So what happens when we put our clothes on and go on being what it's expected of us to be?... Expectations kill, sometimes. They freeze people and worry us to the point where we are actually afraid of not being as good as the other person thinks we are. There's no lies in this book, not really, but there's a lot of hiding. Both MC's hide parts of themselves because they are afraid to show, or to feel. However, the one who hit too close home, for me, was Toby.

Young and beautiful Toby. From his love for cooking, to his fear of failure, to his constant feeling of being lost and struggling to find a place, and yet, finding a way to put a brave face every day and smile... And then hiding again. Young Toby, thinking he was giving it all when maybe he really wasn't. It was like reading about myself. My insecurities, my passions, my dreams, my worries, my shame.. All of it. Way too close.

If you pick this up expect hot, wild, kinky sex. Expect ups and downs. Expect an 18 year age gap between your MC's. Expect loss, fear, and a bit of heartbreak. But above all, expect a story about love. A story of two men that are honest enough to know that they don't know... So they have to figure it out, and while they figure it out, they hold each other, and onto each other... Life's too short for bad books (so pick this one because it's awesome), cold coffee (the hotter the better), and awful Lemon Meringue Pies... So follow the recipe by the end of the book, and make a good one.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review via Net Galley ...more

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Apr 20, 2015 Sara marked it as dnf

Shelves: boys-who-love-boys, possibly-maybe

No rating... DNF @ 38%.

Okay. I tried. I really did. I tried for me and for my friends who really liked it. I had to give up at 38% and just call it a wash. I am the odd ball out on this but I think the author is a one hit wonder for me.

The idea was great; a younger inexperienced but "natural" Dom who gets off on the idea of hurting someone and making them cry meets the older experienced sub who can possibly show him the way. I like the age gap and the play on roles but I could not connect with ...more

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Nov 13, 2015 Sheziss rated it liked it

Shelves: 2000s, age-gap, arc, bdsm, english, england, funny-funny-funny, homo-contemporary, homo-erotic, humor

I admit I was confused. I wasn’t sure who was the Dom here. Supposedly Toby calls the shots, but Lauren fulfilled that role a way too often. Yes, I’m aware Toby is new in the scene, and I could really imagine him as the perfect controlled Dom in the years to come. But this book felt… strange, at least.

Am I allowed to have these doubts and at the same time love the relationship just as it is?

As if.

Despite all of the above, I could really appreciate the D/s theme here. I loved that first scene tog ...more

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May 09, 2015 Lisa *-* GiViNg It To YoU * LoCk StOcK & TwO SmOkiNg BaRrELs rated it really liked it

Shelves: bdsm, beautifully-written, boy-luv-boy, made-meez-smile, netgalley-arc-s, sexy-as-fuck

4 REAL StArS

Don't Take My Word For It, Mary Berry Thought It Was Awesome!!

Alexis Hall is one of my guiltiest of guilty pleasures ... I just love he's writing....Beautiful, Meaningful, Thoughtful.

It's that intangible thing that we all recognize but would be hard pressed to truly describe. Like human behavior and how to translate that onto a page......well, this is what Hall does so exquisitely.

For Real...is just that...REAL!

Two guys, two completely different lives, different ages, with pasts a ...more

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Apr 20, 2015 Adam rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mm-contemporary, bdsm, dom-sub, age-gap, read-for-review, broken-boys, wrote-a-review, sex-sex-and-more-sex, kinks-and-stuff, smexy-sex

When this first popped up on my feed, I was a bit skeptical. 400+ pages of a 19-year-old Dom? It didn't sound fun. But I was very obviously wrong. 'For Real' takes age, society's expectations, BDSM, and sex, and basically turns everything on its head. It was marvelous.

I think what I enjoyed most was how Alexis Hall portrayed the contrast between two very different stages of life. Toby is nineteen, and has absolutely no clue what to do with his life. I think most everyone had moments of despair w When this first popped up on my feed, I was a bit skeptical. 400+ pages of a 19-year-old Dom? It didn't sound fun. But I was very obviously wrong. 'For Real' takes age, society's expectations, BDSM, and sex, and basically turns everything on its head. It was marvelous.

I think what I enjoyed most was how Alexis Hall portrayed the contrast between two very different stages of life. Toby is nineteen, and has absolutely no clue what to do with his life. I think most everyone had moments of despair when they realized that legally being an adult meant actually doing something with your life. Of course, for Toby it was even more terrifying because he didn't have those few years of reprieve that college/university give.

On the other hand, Laurence has a great job, is highly-respected in his field, and doesn't have to worry about material things. But on a personal level, he's approaching his fourties and has had nothing but one failed relationship and a string of hook-ups. There's an almost desperate feeling to Laurence's thoughts. Yearning for something deep and meaningful, yet realizing that you basically have nothing, can't be pleasant.

Reading how Toby and Laurie come together and try to banish each other insecurities was beautiful. They're not perfect, and they screw things up a lot, but they work until they get it right. The two pinged all of my romance buttons.
description

It was entertaining to see Toby's introduction to the world of BDSM through his POV. I've got to give kudos to Alexis Hall to doing something unconventional with BDSM. There are no formalities or complexities in what Toby and Laurence do.

As someone who gets easily bored with the formality that is often portrayed in BDSM-themed books, 'For Real' was right up my ally. It's just plain, hot, fun kink as the two explore and experience each other. Also, I don't think I'll ever look at lemon meringue pie the same again.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I'd recommend 'For Real' to MM readers who enjoy relationship-focused books with hot kink.

ARC provided through NetGalley. ...more

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Oct 05, 2018 Lyn rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mmr-bdsm, age-difference, audio, own, 4-5-stars, amazing-narration, emotionally-satisfying, endearing-couple, favorite-couple, favorites

Audio 5+++ Stars!
Story 4 Stars

Overall 4.5 stars!

Loved that the Dom in the story was the younger and smaller guy.
Loved that for a bdsm themed book, there were also funny and fluffy moments.

My 2nd Alexis Hall book, and I'm beyond impressed!

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Apr 18, 2015 Susan rated it liked it

Shelves: bdsm, mm

BR with Elsbeth and Belen

I am sad. This started out so strong, and I thought for sure this would be amazing. And it was good, really. I just had all these expectations after reading the blurb. So basically, it is all my fault that I didn’t like this book more.

description

Because I truly loved Laurie and Toby. Laurie and his quiet ways and Toby’s insecurities and babbling. The sex scenes were hot and I really liked those too. There was a lot of humor too, especially when we were in Toby’s head.

Maybe I shoul ...more

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May 05, 2015 .Lili. rated it it was amazing

Shelves: m-m, june-15, arc-netgalley

I was reaaaaally nervous about requesting this book. My first try with this author didn't work out so well, but this one-

was great!

*I loved the writing- it didn't feel like almost 500 pgs.
*LOVED the relationship build up!!
*This book is smoking hot!!!!

I can't write a review that will do this book justice- all I can say is: READ IT!!!

**ARC kindly provided by the publisher via Netgalley for an honest review**

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Apr 30, 2015 Alvin rated it it was amazing

Shelves: bdsm, best-of-2015, kinky, may-dec, foodgasm

OKAY, THAT WAS WONDERFUL.
Everything about it: Toby and Laurie, their struggles, everything about themselves, their desires, them together, their passions,...everything was wonderful.

The only thing that's holding me back for giving it a perfect rating is the references. I don't understand most of them. :(

But nevertheless, this is one of the GREATEST STORIES I've read this year. Congratulations to Mr. Hall!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

4.5 STARS!

PS: Btw, for those who are scared of BDSM, the kink in this ...more

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Sep 23, 2016 Dia rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2016

5 stars for this wonderful story ❤ ...more

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Apr 13, 2018 Cristina rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: lgbtq, m-m, queer, london-themed, favorites

I've read For Real by Alexis Hall twice in the space of three weeks. The first time I was so stunned by this novel that I couldn't even think to set it aside. My second read, instead, was all focused on savouring the language and the characters in this wonderful novel.

Toby Finch and Laurie Dalziel are utterly real and moving in their fears, hopes, and behaviours.

Toby is fierce, headstrong and scared as only a 19-year-old can be but also so true to himself to be incredibly affecting. His inten I've read For Real by Alexis Hall twice in the space of three weeks. The first time I was so stunned by this novel that I couldn't even think to set it aside. My second read, instead, was all focused on savouring the language and the characters in this wonderful novel.

Toby Finch and Laurie Dalziel are utterly real and moving in their fears, hopes, and behaviours.

Toby is fierce, headstrong and scared as only a 19-year-old can be but also so true to himself to be incredibly affecting. His intensity is unwavering - be it in the grief for his granddad's passing or in the passionate love he feels for Laurie. He demands love and attention but under this restless veneer, there's a fragile boy who's seen all his dreams stripped away from him and is now lost and adrift. He might sound morose but he never is, even in his moments of utmost despair. The liveliness of his narrative voice is profound but also very often hilarious and the touches that make him different and special (e.g. his love of 1940s' movies or the intensity with which he thinks about and discusses food) are simply amazing.

Laurie responds to Toby's fierceness with a pretence of detachment and coldness. He uses the social convention of the age gap as a defence mechanism and the ultimate wall to protect himself from the inevitable capitulation in the face of Toby's courtship. He's at the same time unavailable emotionally but over-available physically until he comes to realise that what he and Toby do together spills out and moulds what they are and what they feel . His narrative voice - subdued where Toby's is lively but equally profound and so often quietly meditative - is always compelling.

Submission and dominance are clearly central elements in their relationship and the twist in the plot - with the younger character being the dom - adds a very interesting dynamic to their story.

Hall's writing style is a whirlwind of emotions - it's funny, melancholic, intense, sensual. I was simply left speechless and the passages I've re-read time and time again are countless.

As already said: 5-amazing-moving-clever-iconoclastic-stars.

And in homage to the wonderful scene set in Oxford: https://youtu.be/Kq0_G9mYppo ( Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart sang by Judy Garland in MGM's Listen, Darling , 1938) ...more

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Feb 24, 2016 Line rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 00-have, mm-age-difference, mm-and-a-wee-bit-of-kink, mm-angst, mm-cozy, mm-fantastic-friends, mm-humor, mm-snarky-humor, mm-spanky-spanky, mm-will-definitely-read-again

AND dirt cheap at amazon.com right now: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BRD69LV/...

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Still one of my favourites!
This is a book that I read every time I need to get 'my kink' on, but don't feel like taking a chance on BDSM novels that end up pissing me off because the subs are seen as furniture or sandwich-makers. Or when I need to laugh out loud.

Laurie is one of the BEST subs ever IMO, and I have a special place in my heart for Toby. He is one of the be ...more

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Apr 17, 2015 Maya rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, mm-romance, erotica

Reading this book was like spending a gorgeous summer evening with someone really close, drinking your favorite wine until you get giddy and laugh to tears at everything and anything, and then suddenly you end up spilling your heart out and share things you were scared to say or even think. But that’s ok because this person gets you and won’t look at you in a weird way next time they see you. And then you feel relieved and free and just … better but also somewhat nostalgic because you don’t know ...more

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Jun 09, 2018 Moony Eliver rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: vanilla-it-is-not, m-m, z-2018, cover-love, lgbtqia, favorites-to-reread, audiobook

Update Dec 2018: 4.5 stars. Just finished re-reading via audiobook, and this is one of the few ABs I've ever been able to stand. Sometimes the narration got a tad dramatic but mostly it was just Really Hot. And cute. This won't be my last read of this one.

————————

This book had me totally under its spell. While there was no element of it that was perfect, the whole was quite more than the sum of its parts. I’ve read other books with more exciting plots, more effective character development, bette Update Dec 2018: 4.5 stars. Just finished re-reading via audiobook, and this is one of the few ABs I've ever been able to stand. Sometimes the narration got a tad dramatic but mostly it was just Really Hot. And cute. This won't be my last read of this one.

————————

This book had me totally under its spell. While there was no element of it that was perfect, the whole was quite more than the sum of its parts. I’ve read other books with more exciting plots, more effective character development, better editing, and hotter sex, and YET — I don’t regret a single solitary minute I spent with Toby and Laurie. Cover to cover, this was a beautiful story.

But that’s sort of what love is, I guess. A perpetual state of semideranged partiality.

First of all, this is not a bdsm book — and I mean that in the best way possible, coming from someone who actively seeks out that genre. This is a romance about two people who happen to have bdsm kinks. Kinky sex is only one element of the story.

If you don’t care for reading angst, you will not like this one. Some books are annoyingly angsty just because the characters won’t TALK to each other, and there’s a little of that. But mostly these MCs’ relationship issues stem from trouble overcoming their own insecurities/experiences/hurdles — and in that regard, I found it incredibly realistic. That’s exactly why most non-fiction people struggle in their relationships, too.

Who the hell am I to get all pointlessly principle-having?

I’m going to spoiler-hide my thoughts on the party scene since it’s a good 78% into the book, but honestly what I'm saying here isn't a spoiler. I have to write about it because (view spoiler)

This was my first read in the Spires Universe, but now every single other one is in my queue.

And of everything that had ever been spoken or written about love, I couldn’t remember a single occasion on which it had been described as sensible. ...more

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May 03, 2015 Eva rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: friends-loved, m-m, bdsm, best-eva, angst, read-more-than-once-or-for-re-read, age-gap, favorites, dark, hot-as-hell

Beautiful, painful and raw 5 REAL stars
“Take me to you, imprison me, for I,
Except you enthrall me, never shall be free,
Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me

—John Donne”

Toby, oh Toby

“He’s my prince. Fierce and fragile and tender and cruel.”

Oh boy, how I Loved this book...It hit all my buttons... amazing MCs, love, angst, BDSM...Oh, I Just couldn't put it down. The story is brilliant and so very very real.

Toby is a magnificent character, a 19 year-old who is so honest and loving and scared ...more

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Jun 17, 2015 *J* Too Many Books Too Little Time marked it as i-m-a-quitter

Shelves: male-action, length-aversion, dirty-dirty-boy, funny-ha-ha, get-your-freak-on, not-my-cuppa, steamy

Throwing in the towel at 30%.....

Mind you it took me 3 days to get to this point.

#notpleased

So I think the length more so then anything got in the way of this one. Granted, had I enjoyed what I was reading a bit more I might not have noticed.

It's no secret the BDSM theme is not my thing. I don't really get it. And I really didn't get it here. Their roles didn't fit in the traditional sense of things. But again what do I know?!

I didn't really notice the age gap so much at first and I actually f ...more

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Apr 28, 2015 Bev rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: alexis-hall, b-d-s-m, lgbtq-mm, hot-as-hell, romance, brilliant-writing, lots-of-giggles, lots-of-sex, hella-kinky, doms-in-charge

****Hope you'll all join me in congratulating Alexis on his 2016 RITA award for this story. Completely merited.****

A shower of golden stars for this one.

I cannot do the story justice at all with this review, I am not worthy of it's magnificence, so I'm not even going to try (besides, my quotes would have taken up nearly as many pages as the story...I highlighted nearly everything, THAT'S how good this story was). I will say I've added a 'brilliant writing' bookshelf especially for Alexis, and a ...more

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May 24, 2015 Duchess Nicole rated it liked it

Shelves: 3-star-read, arc-for-review, arc-net-galley, genre-contemp-romance, mm-romance, read-in-2015, stand-alone

A nice unique story but not my favorite by Alexis Hall. I liked the age difference. It was interesting to have a dom who was so timid everywhere outside the bedroom and a sub who was so experienced and confident. It added a whole new dynamic to the relationship. Im still not convinced that Toby is dom enough but eh...it's not my choice, huh? I don't think I'd want to read this type of relationship all the time, but it was nice for a change up.

I felt like there were too many sex scenes, and they ...more

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Apr 20, 2015 *P*u*r*p*l*e* Masochist rated it liked it

Shelves: adult, m-m, bdsm, arc, dirty-mind-approves, drama, hot-steamy, love-the-cover, new-adult, realistic

~ Arc provided by the Riptide Publishing in exchange for honest review ~

3.5 stars

I've read only two books from A. Hall so far, but they were enough to make him one of those author's about whose books I don't have second thoughts before reading. Books with bdsm romance were usually a hit/miss in my reading history depending on the story and the writing style, so I'm pretty careful and picky when choosing them, but as soon as I saw this author's name and of course the sexy cover, there was no doub ~ Arc provided by the Riptide Publishing in exchange for honest review ~

3.5 stars

I've read only two books from A. Hall so far, but they were enough to make him one of those author's about whose books I don't have second thoughts before reading. Books with bdsm romance were usually a hit/miss in my reading history depending on the story and the writing style, so I'm pretty careful and picky when choosing them, but as soon as I saw this author's name and of course the sexy cover, there was no doubt whether I was going to read this book. I prefer lighter type of bdsm romance, even though I've read and even loved some of the heavy stuff.

But it's like there's a line in his head or something. And I can have everything up to the line. But nothing after it. I've seen glimpses over it.... ... Enough, basically, to make me want to live there, on the other side of him. Except I don't know how to get there. And I'm afraid of pushing- again -in case I lose what I've got.

For Real is, I would say, an emotionally charged romance with a touch of bdsm between a 19 year old Dom Toby and 37 year old submissive Laurie. I know you'll are probably wondering how this type of relationship could work considering their age gap. What could possibly a 19 year old, who is still searching himself and has yet a lot to experience, offer to a 37 year old, who's already been through it all? Without spoiling anything all I can say is that Alexis Hall makes it happen and pretty successfully. As usual I liked both of the MCs and the fact that this author continues to write about real, relate-able characters with all the virtues and flaws that makes us human.

Why 3.5 stars then? I've enjoyed the story a lot, but it was maybe a bit too "relationship focused" for my taste with quite a lot of sex scenes (it was after all more than 400 pages long.) The sex scenes were smoking hot, but I would have preferred if the relationship had been more slow-building and if the the author had focused a bit more on the background stories of the MCs. It was a good story, but Glitterland and Waiting for the Flood touched me on some deeper level and remain my favs.

This review is posted on Way Too Hot Books. ...more

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The Backlot Gay B...: For Real, by Alexis Hall	2	53	Jun 17, 2015 07:21AM

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About Alexis Hall

Alexis Hall

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Alexis Hall was born in the early 1980s and still thinks the 21st century is the future. To this day, he feels cheated that he lived through a fin de siècle but inexplicably failed to drink a single glass of absinthe, dance with a single courtesan, or stay in a single garret. He did the Oxbridge thing sometime in the 2000s and failed to learn anything of substance. He has had many jobs, including ...more